how to engage your audience to engage theirs
DESCRIPTION
Learn about tools your exhibitors can use to enhance their presence before, during & after the event Communicate options to your exhibitors to help advertise their participation. Tell your exhibitors why they want to engage their audiences pre-show to have a better trade show experience.TRANSCRIPT
How to Engage Your Audience to Engage Theirs
Tracy Garcia, CEM, Director of Exhibits, IFTAngela Carr, VP Professional Services, a2z,
Inc.
Welcome!
Learning Outcomes
• Learn about tools your exhibitors can use to enhance their presence before, during & after the event
• Communicate options to your exhibitors to help advertise their participation
• Tell your exhibitors why they want to engage their audiences pre-show to have a better trade show experience.
What do exhibitors want out of your trade show?
Why do attendees attend trade shows?
Perspective
Why exhibitors exhibit…
Source: Red 7 Media Research & Consulting
Why attendees attend…
http://www.expoweb.com/article/why-attendees-attend-and-exhibitors-exhibit#.UfGNtb7D8dU
Source: Red 7 Media Research & Consulting
#1 Reason – The Show Floor!
What are other events doing to attract attendees?
Attendance Acquisition and retention tactics with the worst returns:• Direct mail (67%)• Generic mass email• Telemarketing efforts• Social media• Lowering registration rates• List rental/acquisition• Print advertising
What are other events doing to attract attendees?
http://www.lippmanconnects.com/files/ts_best_practices_2013.pdf- 64% of respondents give exhibitors tools to
invite their attendees- 27% are offering a hosted buyer program
#1 Reason – The Show Floor!
Utilize your Assets!
Tools for Exhibitors to Engage their Audience and Enhance their Experience
How?• Provide Attendee Acquisition Tools•Ask your exhibitors to include your event on their website.
Make it easy!• Provide event logo for their marketing materials• Provide email signature containing the event information• Provide complimentary exhibit hall only registration for their
customers• Provide canned marketing campaigns•Make available the event’s attendee marketing emails that the
exhibitors can download & send or so they can review the highlights
How?
•Capitalize on word of mouth – social media•Provide the exhibitors with the event twitter hash tag
and the event Facebook page information– Encourage them to post– Pull the feeds onto the homepage of your event website.
•Provide rich content on your website so the exhibitors want to encourage their customers to visit the site•Have exhibitors promote the event mobile app•Use all the media channels you can, both traditional
and emerging
How?
Attendee Acquisition Tools for Exhibitors
IFT AAW Infographic
Attendee Acquisition Widget Marketing Campaign
3/12 - 22% open5/9 - 19% open6/26 - 18% open
How?
Provide email signature containing the event
information
Exhibitor Email Signatures• Prior to registration opening
Plan to attend!2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food ExpoJuly 13 – July 16, 2013 Chicago, IL
• Once registration opens
Register now! 2013 IFT Annual Meeting & Food ExpoJuly 13 – July 16, 2013 Chicago, IL
• After the event
‘Miss something at the 2013 Annual Meeting & Food Expo?Check out IFT Live for news and videos!
How?
Create canned marketing campaigns
Marketing Campaign: Sample
How?
Rich content on show website
Rich Content: eBooth Sample
Rich Content: Product Showcase
How?
Have your exhibitors promote the mobile app for
your show
Mobile App Promotion: Sample
Tell your exhibitors why they want to engage their
audiences
Tell Your Exhibitors Why They Want to Engage Their Audiences
• Because tradeshows are the most cost effective way for face-to-face interaction
• Makes them look like a partner to their existing customers
• Average attendee doesn’t see every exhibit – make sure you are one of them
• Overcome “bad booth location”
Communicate Options to Your Exhibitors to Help Advertise Their Participation
• Getting exhibitors to listen and take advantage of the tools offered is always the biggest challenge. Year-to-year continuity is key. Start helping them with future show right now.
• Develop a program aimed to communicate the exhibitor attendee acquisition tools you have available and how they're best used.
• Guide them toward your show's most meaningful programs so they know what to promote.
• Enlist the direct feedback of your exhibitors. Ask them what will work.